Erica Lotus, A Wandering Soul
by Liliana Dragonshard
Summary: Erica Lotus is a new dragon in the NYC, but is all as it appears?Having lost her memory, she yearns to find her family, and why she can become a dragon. With her animal guardian, a tom cat named Lynx, doing his best to guide the young dragon girl on her confusing path, what will happen when she discovers that her family was closer than anyone ever thought?(rated T for blood)
1. A New Dragon in the Big Apple

**Author's Note**

**I don't own American Dragon; Jake Long, only my oc**

**Hello, everybody! This is my first Amdrag fanfic, so I hope it's good. I'm not sure where it is exactly in the time frame of stuff, but let's say after the series, so let me tell you how things are currently rolling when this opens up.**

**Okay, this is after the series. Jake is 15, Haley is 9, and Jake has gone through Dragon Puberty. That's something a friend of mine, 'MsMusicLover', came up with, and gave me permission to use. Basically, they seem sick for awhile as their body changes; stronger bones, muscles, fire-breathing stuff, further enhanced senses. That sort of thing. **

**I have my own ideas for what would happen, but I'll let you know what's mine. The rest is MsMusicLover's. After reading other fanfics and looking at it up on Wikipedia, I've concluded that in the season finale, there was an evil dragon, that Jake managed to destroy against all odds. After that, the whole family knew about the dragon side of the family, and everyone was happy.**

**The season two finale did happen, but let's just say the Dark Dragon still has influence in dreams. **

**I'm also basically seeing it as the same as in the episodes, only because I'm not caught up with all of the episodes, so please bear with me on this. Also, Rose and Jake are not a couple. Nor are they dating or anything. Besides the whole 'we're arch enemies' thing, I could never see them as a couple. Although that might change depending what the reviews say. Wink, wink.**

**I think that covers it. So, on with the show! ****Please review!**

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**Chapter 1: **A New Dragon in the Big Apple

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Narrator (POV)

A dark, shadowed shape, ran through the streets of New York City. It was a panicked running, hiding from whoever seemed to be following. Climbing onto a rooftop, the darkish figure scrambled to get out of the way. Turning, they stared in terror as the Huntsman and the Huntsgirl appeared. She spun around, searching for a an escape.

"There is no use running, dragon. We'll catch you sooner or later." said the Huntsman, lowering his staff. The dragon in question had dark royal purple scales, with black dark-blue tinted scales that acted almost like hair, hanging partially over her eyes. Her eyes glowed a hard orange-red, like hot coals, and her underbelly was a dark blue. She was slender yet bore resemblance to the American Dragon.

She lowered herself close to the ground and snarled. As the Huntsgirl approached, the dragon held thier ground. Swinging the staff and kicking, she managed to get a few good blows in. The dragon, however, was faring a little better. Using tail, teeth, claws, and feet, she was getting more hits where it would really hurt.

Fed up with this, Huntsgirl fired a blast at the dragon, hitting it in the stomach and knocking it away. The dragon shrank in on itself, whimpering. When the Huntsgirl approached, she shrank down farther, nearly invisible in the shadows save for her eyes. At the last moment, she struck, sweeping her tail to knock the huntress off her feet, before grabbing and keeping her from fighting. Holding the hunter in the air, she stalked carefully over to the edge of the building.

"Let go of me!" shouted the Huntsgirl. Quirking an eyebrow, the dragon loosened her grip. Gasping, Rose stopped struggling, staring back as if she couldn't believe it. The Huntsman aimed his staff, but the dragon merely held the girl out even farther. There was no fire escape; there would be little chance of breaking her fall if the dragon dropped her.

Lowering his staff, the Huntsman called, "Dragon, if you will give me back my young niece alive, I'll spare you." he called. The dragon looked him full on in the face. She began to back away from the edge, but Huntsgirl tried to break free again. She broke the dragons grip, only to fall towards the street below. Her cry was cut off as the dragon grabbed her ankle with her tail.

Hauling her onto the roof, the dragon backed away. The Huntsgirl returned to her master, and both watched as the dragon disappeared, flying into the night.

"Huntsmaster, we're not really going to let the dragon get away, are we?" she asked in disbelief. He laid a hand on her shoulder, replying,

"I'll spare the dragon tonight, but the next time we meet, we will make it a dragon skin rug." Meanwhile, the dragon had put great distance between herself and the hunters. As the danger was put behind her, eyes dimmed from their angry red-orange to a gentler orange glow, like warm coals. Exhausted, she landed on the next perch that at was at her level. Which happened to be a ledge that was only a yard long several hundred feet in the air.

Panting, she took a look at her belly. It had a few black marks, and was sore, but otherwise seemed fine. She carefully checked all 4 limbs, her tail, and lastly, her wings. All seemed to be okay, despite the soreness. With a quick glance around, she took into the air again, but the wind picked up strongly, lifting the dragon high into the air.

She flailed against the wind, trying desperately to right herself and go down. Her efforts only seemed to worsen it. She was very high up when she heard the voice.

"Hey, over here! I can help!" she flew towards the voice, which seemed to be somewhere above her. She saw someone looking down, offering their hand. Reaching for it, she grasped it and scrabbled at the edge, folding her wings to her body. She finally hauled herself up, taking a few paces away from the edge. She was on a ledge that went back several feet.

"Thanks." she got out.

"Your welcome, missy. Pleasure to be able to help out a dragon." she gasped when she saw him. It was a stone gargoyle, looking right at her, and very much alive. She squeaked as she backed away, ears lowered.

"It's okay, missy, I wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone a dragon. My name is Edward, or Ed for short."

"What's so special about me being a dragon?" she half snapped, her eyes changing back to red-orange. Gargoyle looked at her strangely.

"Don't you know? You look a lot like him! The American dragon, who protects our magical realm against evil-doers and keeps our secret underground society a, well, secret. You have a similar shape to him." the dragon take it all in silently. She sat next to Edward dog-style, looking out over the city.

"What sort of creatures are out there? Like Leprechauns, trolls, unicorns . . . ?" she trailed off, looking at Ed's surprised look.

"What?" her eyes were back in their usual orange glow, but a little brighter now. Her curiosity was peaked.

"Well, I'm just surprised that you don't know. Didn't your Dragon Master teach you any of this?" questioned Ed sweeping one hand to indicate the dragon girl, himself and the city. Shrugging, the girl looked up at the sky. This high up, the city lights hardly interfered with your view of the stars.

"Well, I don't have a Dragon Master, whatever that is. I woke up like this," she swept her hand over body,"I know what stuff is, like sandwiches or the stars or buildings. I know what dragons and other magical stuff are, too. But I don't really know who I am, or where I came from, nothing." she sighed, lowering her gaze.

Ed was surprised, to say the least. A new dragon, one that didn't remember her past? If guys like Herbert the goblin found out, she could get into some serious trouble. He could call up the American Dragon, but would it be better if he pointed her in the right direction, in stead? Maybe Fu-dog could help. He could get American Dragon over to help her.

"Want me to call up the American Dragon? He's in charge of looking after all the magical creatures in the city. He could help you, missy." catching the unsure look on her face, he sighed.

"I know it's hard not knowing stuff, but I'm sure it'll come back eventually. Besides, you need help learning your powers, if you haven't already. I would suggest staying here with me until morning, but a storms a-coming, and I don't think you should be caught up here in the middle of it." Ed had a point. Storm clouds were gathering in the south.

"You mentioned something about a Dragon Master. Does the American Dragon have one?" at Ed's nod, the dragon girl thought about her options. "Do you know where he lives? Maybe he could help."

"Sure, missy. What about your name? I plan on calling a helper of Lao Shi, the Dragon Master, to let him know your coming." the dragon girl shrugged, her orange eyes dimming somewhat.

"What if I helped ya? How about Krissy?" she shook her head. "Lili?" another head shake. "I know, Edana!" another shake no. Scratching his head, Ed snapped his fingers.

"How about Erica?" suggested Ed. The newly named Erica nodded slowly, her eyes glowing brightly again.

"Yes, that sounds nice. Thanks, Ed!" The purple dragon gently hugged the Gargoyle, who smiled sheepishly.

"Okay, well, just look around for the Canal Street Electronics shop, and you've found Lao Shi. Good luck! Come visit sometime!" he waved goodbye as Erica leapt into the air, using her wings to glide down. Ed pulled out a small, beaten up cell phone and fiddled with it until he was calling Fu-dog.

"Hello, Fu-dog talking. Who's this?"

"It's Edward, the Gargoyle."

"Come again?" asked Fu-dog.

"On the lowest level, on the east side of the Empire State Building."

"Eddy? Great to hear from you! Been what, 40 years? How ya doing, what's the occasion?" Fu-dog was happy enough, but when he heard the news, he stopped in his tracks.

"Hang on a minute, your telling me, there's a new dragon, she's looking for us, and she has no memory?" he demanded.

"Fu-dog, please! I gave her a hand, and she needs some help. Her name is Erica. I've already directed her to Lao Shi's store. I only wanted to help her." with a sigh, Fu caved in.

"Okay, tell me what she looks like and I'll tell Lao Shi." Ed gladly obliged.

"Do you know what her human side looks like?"

"Sadly, no. I'm not sure if she has a human form. I didn't mention it because of the height she took off at." returned Ed.

"Well, thanks for the help, Eddy. I owe you." turning it off, he quickly found and explained everything to Lao Shi. He stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"A storm is approaching. Do you think I should go search for her?"

"I don't see why not, Gramps. From what Eddy told me, she's expecting a dragon or two, not a human and a talking dog to greet her at the door." Lao Shi nodded, hurrying up to the roof of the building and changing into his blue dragon form. He looked like a Chinese dragon in the old tales, with a long body and smaller wings and legs in comparison to Jake, his grandson.

"If I'm not back in three hours, get Jake. But don't tell him about this new dragon yet." he instructed Fu-dog. The Shar Pei nodded, watching as he took off into the night sky. Meanwhile, Erica was running into some trouble. When trying to find Lao Shi, first she tried to asking a leprechaun, but he got mad when she accidentally spilled his pot of gold.

Next, it was a Centaur, but she was busy, and couldn't give accurate instructions. Erica ended up in Central Park, but the storm was approaching fast. She spotted a unicorn, but she couldn't understand it. Then, she ran into the Huntsman again.

He didn't see her, he didn't even know she was there. He was after the unicorns. Huntsgirl was not with him this time. He stalked through the trees of Central Park, and was this-.- close to having a unicorn, when he was tackled to the ground! His staff was knocked away, startling the unicorn and causing it to run off in fright.

Managing to hurl his attacker away, Huntsman expected to see the American Dragon, rather than the purple one from earlier that night. Quickly retrieving his staff, he began to blast at her, but she dodged with unexpected grace and agility. Pausing, she ran at him head on, breathing fire at the last second. The fire knocked Huntsman back, but Erica stood agape.

She had just breathed fire. For a moment, she was thrilled with this new feature, but it didn't last long. Huntsman blasted her out into the open. She tried to breath flames again, but at that moment, the heavens opened up and it poured. Her fire died off with a sizzling, and she backed up slightly, unsure of what to do now.

When he hurled a Sphinx hair net at her, she tried to dodge, but got entangled in it instead. Blue sparks crackled over her body as she writhed under the night, letting out animal cries of pain. But she didn't revert to her human form.

The Hunter walked up triumphantly. He raised his staff and brought it down hard, expecting it to hit her head, killing or knocking her out. Managing to get an arm free, she blocked the staff. A large _CRACK_ echoed for a long ways, and she let out a pain filled roar.

Miss Fortune chose this time for Lao Shi to arrive. He swooped down and knocked the Huntsman away, pulling the net off of Erica and hurling it over him. Helping her to her feet, Lao Shi guided the young dragon into the sky, and were far away when they stopped to rest on a building. She panted and held her injured arm to her chest.

"Are you, I mean, who are you?" she asked. He dipped his head to her.

"I am Lao Shi. Are you Erica?" he asked. She nodded slowly, lowering herself to the wet rooftop. Her glowing orange eyes had dimmed, flickering like a flame in exhaustion.

"Please come with me. I can help you." she nodded weakly, following the blue dragon into the sky. He stayed close to her, using his tail to steady her at times. He brought her to Canal street Electronics shop. He brought her inside and changed back to human. She stared blankly for a moment before edging back. She growled when Lao Shi tried to approach, showing her teeth and claws.

"It's okay, Erica. Dragons are able to change their forms between a human and a dragon form." blinking at him, her eyes brightened for a moment before dimming again. She still backed away, weakly swinging her tail at him. He changed back into his dragon form, and tried to approach, but she hissed and swiped at him. Lao Shi merely blocked with his tail.

She swayed on the spot, before her eyes slit shut and she fell with a groan. Lao Shi half caught, half supported the unconscious dragon and eased her onto the couch. He gently felt over her right arm, feeling the boned and muscles. She jerked in pain and cried out, but didn't wake. He called out for Fu, the magical talking 600-year old dog.

Fu-dog came in a few minutes later, then hurried off to get the requested potion. Taking it from the Shar Pei, Lao Shi poured some of the light green, syrupy liquid into his hand and gently rubbed it into the girls right arm, which had the broken bone.

The bone was healed magically, and Erica sighed in her sleep as the pain disappeared. The injury was fully healed, as if it had never happened.

"So, what are we gonna do with this kid, anyway?" asked Fu-dog, getting a good look at her.

"I'm not sure. I don't know if she has a human form, which is quite rare." replied the blue and white dragon, changing back to his human form.

"Weren't the dragons who were like that mostly in the mid-evil times? Like, knights and dragon slayers and all that?" asked the Shar Pei. Lao gave him a sharp look but nodded.

"There may be another cause. We will have to ask her story tommorow." Fu-dog covered her with a blanket and went into his back room. Getting out a few books, he began to look over them for something on this girl's origin, but found nothing. He did find a few things that made him smile, recalling some past event, but nothing useful for now, as of yet.

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_The Next Morning. . . _

Erica (POV)

I slowly blinked my eyes open to find myself on a couch, under a blanket. I was almost to big for the couch, my tail just falling onto the ground. It seemed to be pretty early in the morning, and I could smell something in the air. I took a deep breath through my nose, and realized that it was tea of some kind. I heard footsteps and closed my eyes quickly, relaxing my body.

I felt someone touching my arm. I realized that it was my right arm, that the, um, Huntsmast guy had hit. And it didn't hurt or anything anymore. I carefully peeked one eye open to see the short, Chinese man from last night, who I think was the dragon. I wasn't sure what to make of this whole, 'he can become a human/dragon' thing.

I didn't really know a lot on mythical, magical creatures, despite being one, obviously. I guessed that I knew as much as the average human. By this time, the Chinese man had left the room and returned with two glasses, both full of a steaming liquid. He set one one a small table next to the couch, then left through a door.

I moved slowly and kept my ears pricked. I sniffed carefully at the liquid, guessing that it was tea, by the scent of it. It was rather small for my dragon hands, so I snaked out my tongue instead. It was hot, but not too hot. I carefully lowered my muzzle and drank up the hot liquid, liking the taste and the heat as it hit my belly.

I looked around when I had finished, but it didn't look very out of the ordinary. I spotted a window and went over to it. I looked around outside, spotting a street sign some distance away that read, 'Canal St.', also realizing that I was in a second story building. I wasn't very sure what to do, and thought about leaving. Maybe, if I found Ed again, he could call that American Dragon fellow.

"Hey, your up! My names Fu-do-AHH! OOF!" I swung my tail as I spun around towards the voice, surprised to see a wrinkly gray dog, with a newspaper on his head. But then, who had been talking?

"Okay, that hurt. Sorry for startling you. My names Fu-dog." Fu-dog sat up and looked me over searchingly. I felt rather self-conscious, crouching animal-style on the ground. But then again, the ceiling was pretty low. I remained silent as the talking dog approached, wondering if there were more talking creatures like him.

"Your name is Erica, right? Eddy told me about you, and that's when Lao Shi started looking for you." I didn't acknowledge my name, I just watched him. I was still afraid of this being a trick. The dog cocked his head.

"Are you able to talk, miss? From what Eddy, the Gargoyle, said about you, you could talk." I cocked my head as well, glancing towards the door Lao Shi had disappeared through. A dinging bell and a shout caught my attention.

"Yo, G, you here?" called a young male voice.

"I am here, young dragon. There is someone that I would like you to meet upstairs." answered Lao. I heard footsteps, and backed away, my ears laid back. Despite him saying 'young dragon', the voice had been to human. When Lao had been a dragon, something about his voice just, well. . . I don't know how to put it.

Panicking, I turned and tried to pry the window open.

"Woah, kid, what are you doing?" asked Fu-dog frantically, trying to stop me. I swept him back carefully with my tail. I finally pried the window open and began squeezing through. There was just enough room to get through the tight space. I clung to the window ledge when I was out, as Fu finally untangled himself from the blanket I threw on him.

"Wait, kid, don't leave.!" he tried to pull me back in, but I shrugged him off.

"Thank you." I whispered. I meant it. Just as the door swung open and Lao and a teenage boy came in, I leapt into the sky and left them far behind me. Landing a few blocks away in an alley, I wondered if I had a human form, like Lao Shi. I wasn't sure, but decided to try it. I tried to think about what my human form might look like.

I couldn't really see it. I opened my eyes when a door opened in front of me. I had no where or time to hide. The person in the doorway froze, and so did I.

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**That was fun! I would like to thank my friend 'Luiz4200' for coming up with my oc's name. Thanks, dude! And don't worry, we'll see who saw her soon. Please review!**


	2. Lynx Wildcat

**Author's Note**

**I don't own American Dragon, only my oc's**

**Hello, back again! A guest asked in a review the following, '**Can this be a Jake/oc fic?**'. In a way it will, but now how you think. You'll see eventually, but to be honest, I'm not exactly sure of everything that'll happen, so suggestions are definitely welcome. Please review!**

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**Chapter 2:** Lynx Wildcat

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Erica (POV)

The cat staring back at me had surprise written all over his face. I was rather surprised, as well. The cat had green eyes and gray and black striped fur. His fur was a bit long and the he walked on his hind feet. One of his paws was gripping at the doorknob, which was just within his reach. He flicked his tail and twitched his ears.

"I didn't know there was another dragon around town. My name is Wildcat. Lynx Wildcat. Would you please pleasure me with your name?" his voice was quiet, and smooth, and sounded like an American Woods accent, if that makes any sense.

"Er, yeah, my name is Erica. Nice to meet you, Mr. Wildcat. Quick question, do all cats in this city talk?" I reply. He seems ataken back, before he started laughing! I didn't see what was so funny about that statement. He finally quieted down, a grin on his face.

"You clearly have a sense of humor! So nice, especially since Lao Shi-"

"You know Lao Shi?" I interrupt. He eyes me strangely.

"Why yes, pretty much all creatures in the magic community here know of Lao. Why do you ask?" I hang my head, not sure how to reply. Lynx's gaze softened, and he gestured with a paw. His front paws were like hands, allowing him to grip and do other things.

"Please come in. we can share a drink while we talk." Soon, we were upstairs in his little apartment, which was above the bookstore he came out of, called 'Wildcat's Mythology and More'. There were hardly any customers, and when I asked, he just shrugged.

"If I get a call, this is what I say. 'Wildcat's Mythology and More, very few customers, vast amounts of knowledge'." I tried to get a drink from my cup, but it's hard to do with dragon hands. Lynx sighed and put done his mug.

"Your story is quite the owl-finder. As for not being able to change into your human form, well, I don't know what to tell you. It may be a magic spell, or it may not. Would you like me to help you out?" asked Lynx. I took a look around his place again. It didn't seem to be anything fishy, except the actual smell.

"I guess so. What can we do, though?" Lynx grinned, showing his pointy teeth a little less than before. He jumped down from his place in the armchair and walked (on all fours) over to a curtain on the wall. He pulled it back to reveal a room full of shelves and bottles and such, in many shapes and colors. There were also books, almost a whole wall full of them!

I didn't follow him in. I didn't want to whack anything over. He walked beside the bookcase, before grabbing a thick volume and pushing it over. Turning to a page, he let out a cry of, "Ah ha!" and went over to the table at the far end.

"What's going on?" I asked, not sure what was happening. He brought over a strange pendant. It was a golden dragon, curling around a snow-white crystal. Putting it down, he explained,

"This is a dragon's shard. It can sense if there is any energy-or magic-that is unnatural. Then, it will show us what we need to do if it's bad." sounded simple enough. I touched the crystal, and it glowed a blood-red. Lynx picked up the ribbon attached to it and walked slowly past the bookshelf, until the pendant showed him the book.

"According to this, your energy is being blocked, so you can't change back. With the right potion, the spell will be released, and you'll be able to change back and forth with ease. Luckily for you, I am a master in creating new potions and inventing new spells. For this to work, however, we'll need a few ingredients that I don't have."

"Like?" I asked.

"We'll need a 4-leaf clover, a few hairs from a unicorns mane, and lastly. . . . . . . It's smudged, I can't read this last bit. I'll get it cleaned up, and you can gather the other ingredients in the mean time." I nod slowly. This might work. then I realized something.

"How am I supposed to get a four-leaf clover? I can see myself getting a few hairs from a unicorn, but a clover?" I questioned. Lynx shrugged and kept shifting through his books.

"And how am I supposed to search like this if it's not night?" I ask again, sweeping my hand to indicate my reptilian form. He sent me a glare, baring his teeth slightly. He winked, however, before turning back to what he was doing. He seemed to be making some sort of potion. Balancing on his hind legs, he walked over carrying a thin, pink bottle and a necklace.

The necklace was a light pink and shaped like a heart. It was wire wrapped in with black wire and hung on a red cord. Handing me the items, he explained,

"This necklace and potion should allow you to revert to your human form, but only for a brief while. A small sip of the potion, with the necklace on, will allow you one hour of being a human. Take the necklace off, and your a dragon again." Putting on the necklace, I took a small sip of the liquid. It tasted like water, but slightly bitter.

A moment later, flames surrounded my form. I yelped in panic, stumbling back, only to realize they were gone. And that everything was bigger. I looked down to see my hands, were like human hands. I checked myself over in a nearby mirror. I had a light tan, blue tinted black hair, bangs hanging into my chocolate brown eyes. I was wearing a dark royal purple jacket, dark blue jeans, and tan boots.

I turned to Lynx, who now seemed bigger. He smiled up at me. "Well, it worked. I can give you instructions to get to Wall street. That's where the Leprechaun stock trade is. Just ask politely and they'll probably give you one. Come back as soon as you have it." after giving me the instructions, a small, dark blue backpack and some money, I set out.

After riding the subway to Wall street, I started looking around until I spotted a little man in green walking into an alley. Following stealthily after, I watched as he stepped through a door and inside. hurrying over, I stopped the door from shutting and peeked in. There were Leprechauns everywhere, it seemed, walking and running about, most with pots that had little handles, like pails.

I was about to step through the door when I was stopped by one of them trying to go out. I was taller than him, but I didn't know what to do. He seemed to, though. Lightly shoving me, out.

"Sorry, missy. This here, er, party has a dress code." he seemed nervous.

"Actually, I'm here to get a certain ingredient for a friend of mine. Lynx Wildcat. Do you know him?" I asked politely. The guy seemed relieved, if slightly.

"Well, what does he need? My name is Mr. O'Reilly, at your service." he took off his hat for a moment before shaking my hand.

"My names Erica. He's trying to make a potion to help me, and one of the ingrediants is an authentic four leaf clover." I answer. he jumps a little and gives me a glare.

"A four leaf clover! That feline had finally gone off the deep end!" he muttered to himself. "I'll give you one, lass, but only because he's doing it for someone else. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice enough fellow, but he tried to pull something on me awhile back. Here you go." he handed me a clover, and, true to it's name, it had four leaves.

"Thank you. Believe me, this is going to help." with a nod, the little man walked back into the building. After placing it in the pack, I hurried back to the shop, but halfway there, the necklace flashed a bright pink. I dived into an alley, just as the flames seemed to engulf me for a moment, making me taller and scaly, with wings and a tail.

"Ah, man. I thought I still had time." I grumbled to myself. I checked to make sure no one else had seen, then launched myself into the sky. I made my way quickly to Lynx's shop, landing on the roof. I found a spot where you can actually walk right into the building down a set of stairs. Although surprised that I got back so soon, he took the clover leaf and put it with the other supplies.

"Next is unicorn hairs, correct?" I ask. He nodded, a smile on his face.

"You catch on fast. Unicorns graze in Central park, starting from the days before, after, and on the full moon. Last night was the full moon, so?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"That means that tonight is our last chance to get it until the next full moon."

"Correct! Now, from what you told me, the Huntsclan tried to bag a unicorn the other night. From what I've heard, the American Dragon was busy dealing with Hobgoblins that were fooling around in the Magus Bazaar, a secret magical city in the city for us magical creatures."

"So your saying that the unicorn may have died if I hadn't been there?"

"Yes. Magical creatures look to dragons for strong leadership and protection. What you did was what any dragon would do. All we need are a few hairs, ten to be on the safe side. Just explain, ask, and they should let you. But don't act like your hunting them, they'll probably panic." for the rest of the day, Lynx taught me more about the magical society.

From gargoyles to fairies, unicorns to ogres, mermaids to wizards, goblins to dragons. I was especially interested in the dragon aspect of it. I wanted to learn more than I already knew, which wasn't much. Lynx suspected that I had been given a potion before, one that could have wiped my memory clear of magic related things. Which, as I didn't even know my name before, hinted that it must have been a big part of my life before.

I learned many things about the dragons, unicorns, ogres, etc. Lynx also explained his own background.

"I was originally born in China. My parents traveled a lot with a performing circus. I learned many spells and potions, that they themselves made, to help aid in the special effects, besides healing and many others. Eventually, around the time the pilgrims were going to the America's, we boarded a ship aiming for what would eventually be called Maine. They're more cat's like me, even though I am a bit on the small side.

"For a few hundred years, our kind grew up in the woods out there, both magic and non magic cats, living together. The humans tamed many of our kind, and we have swept across the nation as a result. They have called our breed Maine Coons. Maine Coons are very large cats, and can weigh up to 26 pounds. I am more of a mix of breeds, and that is why I am a little smaller than most."

I nodded, thinking over that. From what he said, he had been around for hundreds of years.

"How old are you?" he smirked a little.

"I am almost 600 years old. In a few months, it'll be my birthday. Now, do you remember what to do to get the unicorn hairs?" I nodded.

"And you are going to clean that last bit in the book?" I questioned, gently cuffing one ear. He nodded, ears laid back, looking rather annoyed. As in, _'I'll get you for that'_ sort of gleam in his green eyes. Taking the pack, I flew into the darkening sky. The moon rose, almost full in the night sky. I landed down in the open at Central park.

I searched around, before finally spotting the herd. They were beautiful, with white hides and manes, though many of them had different colors in their manes and tails. I walked up slowly, and they looked up. I paused, and we stayed this way for a few minutes. One walked up, sniffing me carefully.

"Hello, I was wondering if you could help me out. My friend is making a potion to help me, and he says that he needs some unicorn. . ." my question died in my throat, as the unicorn before me lowered his head, horn aimed right at me.

"Hairs." I finished. The unicorn jerked his head up, snorting. I shrugged.

"I know it's odd, but will you please help a magic creature out?" after a moment, he turned to give me good access to his mane. I carefully plucked ten hairs, slipping them into a plastic bag before placing it in my pack. I gently patted him on the snout, but he snorted. I turned to leave, but spotted two, no, three pairs of eyes watching us. I turned back to the unicorn, putting my muzzle close to his ear.

"Run, I think someones watching us. Go!" suddenly, whatever had been there burst from the bushes! The unicorn reared back, striking me in the chest with a foreleg, before turning and running off with the rest of the herd. A portal thing appeared, and they all thundered through it before it vanished. I stood and turned to face my (potential) attackers.

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**Okay, gonna wrap it up here. Please review, and feel free to leave suggestions. Erica, out!**


	3. Kelpies and Dragon Scales

**Author'S Note**

**I don't own Amdrag, only my oc, Erica**

**Back again! I posted pretty quick on that last chapter, huh? Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 3:** Kelpies and Dragon Scales

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Erica (POV)

I was surprised to see Lao Shi in his dragon form, as well as Fu-dog and a red and yellow dragon I didn't recognize. All seemed surprised, yet determined. I crouched down, eyeing them all warily. We stood like this for what felt like hours, but it was only a few seconds. The red one lunged, taking me by surprise, bowling me over and pinning my hands to my sides.

I writhed under his grip, baring my teeth in a hiss. He was just a little bit bigger than me, and I couldn't get loose!

"Great work, kid! We got the Kelpie!" exclaimed Fu-dog. What he called me rang a bell, if just barely. Lynx had mentioned it, but we hadn't gotten a chance to actually go into depth about any water-based creatures. I hissed again, going limp in his grasp. As soon as he loosened his grip, I lunged upwards, biting into his arm as hard as I could.

He cried out, trying to get me off, but I held tight. "Jake!" cried out Lao Shi. He launched himself at me, but instead of resisting, I let him bowl us over, tossing him off. I whacked his left ear as hard as I could before releasing him, spitting out some blood. He went limp on the ground, I was tackled by Lao before I could make my escape. I struggled, clawing and trying to bite him.

I was on my stomach, writhing. I finally stopped, panting. Lao's dragon weight on my back was making it hard to breath. I laid my head on the ground, and then Lao put a firm hand on it. Fu-dog approached with some handcuffs, but they were bigger, and looked stronger. I could barely even open my mouth now. I tried to struggle, but I could barely move.

"Jake, are you alright?" Lao called. Jake didn't answer. "Fu-dog, make sure Jake is alright. I'll deal with the Kelpie." Fu left the cuffs next to us, and hurried off to wherever Jake was. I could here groans as Fu apparently roused him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Man, my ear hurts!" he exclaimed. I tried to shift underneath Lao, to see what was up with Jake, but he held me down. I could barely draw enough breath now. I was frightened and scared. I don't know anything about Kelpies, how can I prove I'm not one?

"Yo, G, aren't we gonna make it change to it's regular form?" asked Jake. He moved in front of me, rubbing his left ear gently. I looked into his eyes, which glowed a bright amber-orange. I tried to speak, to open my mouth, but my snout was kept planted to the ground. I tried to plead with my eyes, but he merely glared at me.

"No. Jake, help me with the handcuffs." ordered Lao Shi. Jake came over, grumbling, and Lao shifted slightly to allow him access to my arms. As soon as I could breath again, I hurled myself upwards, as hard as I could. I whirled around, and somehow managed to breath a spurt of hot flames, causing them to back away. I watched them closely as they tried to approach.

"Stay back!" I hissed, leaping into the air to dodge Lao's lunge. Jake had the cuffs, and was twirling them around.

"Listen here, Kelpie. This can happen the easy way or the hard way. Come with us quietly, or have the tar beaten out of ya. What's it gonna be?" he asked. I didn't want to fight, but I wasn't gonna go easy on him. I suddenly had an idea. If the potion Lynx gave me allows me to turn human for an hour. . . I slowly reached into my pack, grabbing the bottle.

I lunged for him, and we ended up rolling on the ground in all's out dragon tousle. I pinned him under me, before taking the bottle and forcing him to drink some. He spat a little out afterwards, throwing me off.

"Ah, that's nasty! Since when do Kelpies use potions, leh!" blue flames surrounded him, until he was in his human form. I was surprised to see that he was the teenage boy from Lao Shi's shop. He had green-tinted black hair, and a red jacket.

"Uh, say what now?!" he exclaimed. I smirked and let out a triumphant growl. "Dragon up!" he yelled, but nothing happened. He tried again, with the same results. I approached, grabbed the cuffs from his hands, and cuffed him to Lao Shi, who was just rising. He tried to strike, but I launched myself into the night sky.

I hurried back to Lynx's place, taking a few detours to make sure they couldn't easily follow me. After I gave Lynx the unicorn hairs, I explained what happened.

"You made him drink some of the potion! Brilliant, ha ha!" he exclaimed, putting the unicorn hairs on a shelf with the label underneath.

"What's so brilliant about it?"

"You see, if your a normal dragon, the potion makes you transform against your will. It only works for you because you have the necklace. The necklace gives you the extra energy you need to transform, which is currently blocked off for you." he explained. He pulled the book out, showing me the page.

"The last ingredient is some dragon scales. But it'll only work if it's scales from a dragon with out your problem, preferably one close to your age." explained Lynx, reading from the page. I groaned, falling onto the couch.

"Aw, man! If I had known, I would have swiped some from that Jake dragon!" Lynx merely huffed.

"Well, when he next show's up, you can try then. I don't know how you'll convince him your not the Kelpie, though." I swung my head around to look at him.

"What is a Kelpie, anyway? You mentioned it earlier."

"A Kelpie is primarily a creature of the water. When it bites you, it sucks out your essence and acquires your powers, actually transforming into a look-alike, leaving you a lifeless husk of your former self." he shuddered slightly, then continued.

"I heard that one escaped recently. And from the way you were acting, I can tell how they could make that mistake. I don't believe that you're a Kelpie, so no worries there." I nodded absentmindedly.

"So how are we gonna get those scales, anyway? And why are they important?"

"They have leftover energy on them, or chi. It'll help reopen your locked up magic." he replied. Tossing a blanket over me, he walked over to a scratching post nearby.

"Rest up. Tomorrow, I'm taking you to my shop in Magus Bazaar." The next morning, he woke me up before the sun rose. I groaned covering my head with the blanket.

"Wake up! I made you something to eat, and I had to get up earlier than usual to make it!" he crowed loudly. I pulled myself off the couch, letting him guide me into the kitchen. After we ate up and refilled my potion bottle, he showed me to Magus Bazaar. It was pretty neat, and would be even better when there was light enough to see anything clearly.

"Can you tell me why am I in my human form again?" I whispered, feeling somewhat awkward. He gave me a look. Oh, right. Dragon protector of the city thinks I'm a Kelpie. He brought me to his little shop here in the Bazaar. The sign proclaimed it to be, 'Lynx's Spell-books and other'.

On the outside, it looks a bit like a rustic log cabin. On the inside, it has the same vibe. Once inside the door, there's a checkout desk to your right, and bookshelves to your left and in front. The books are of nearly every kind imaginable, from spell books and potion books to mythology(but with extremely accurate facts) and some novels and stories written by various magic creatures and even regular humans.

In the back there's a little drink station(coffee, hot cocoa, and other drinks various magical creatures would enjoy) There are light blue curtains hung on the outer walls of the store between the bookcases. In short, this place was sweet!

"Wow, I can't believe a cat is running a store!" I teased. He merely swatted my hand with his tail while purring, jumping up onto a tall stool behind the register. After having me turn the little sign on the outside to 'OPEN', he showed me how the register worked and such, besides the greeting to someone coming into the store. He showed me the different wares, what was available.

He also explained how he shifted new things on the shelves for 'older' things in the back, and repeat.

"'Old things become new, new things become old, repeat.'. It's a good cover up for shifty characters looking for wares that would be bad in the wrong hands." he explained quietly.

"Now, if anyone you recognize, besides me, comes in, act like you never met them before. If you _act_ guilty, they'll _think_ your guilty of something. I need to go see what the latest news is, like with the Kelpie. I'll be back soon. There's a drawer underneath the register. It has a list of all the wares I have. The ones with 'X's are unavailable, okay?"

And with a wave goodbye of his tail, he walked out of the store, the bell jingling merrily. I sighed and grabbed a book. Lynx had pretty much pinned me with a job. I understood why, sorta. He was just trying to teach me. Which reminded me, I need to visit Ed the Gargoyle sometime soon. I could bring lunch. I licked my lips, returning to my novel.

A few hours and some potion drinks later, I was still waiting for Lynx. It was nearly noon. On the bright side, I'd learned a lot about basic and advanced potion ingredients, as well as spells, basic and advanced.

I turned as the bell jingled. "Hello, welcome to Lynx's Spell-books and other, may I help you?" I asked politely. I was surprised and rather nervous when Fu-dog and Lao Shi came in the door.

"Trust me, Gramps. If anyone know's what was up with that potion, Lynx will. Despite being a cat." Fu-dog insisted, though he seemed surprised to see me there.

"Hello, my name's Fu-dog. Is Lynx in?" I shook my head no.

"Sorry, he's out at the moment. How can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for him. We need his expertise to find out what was with this potion that was used against us in a fight." replied Fu-dog. I nodded.

"I'm not sure when he'll be back. What potion are you talking about?" I ask, almost instantly regretting it.

"Well you see, there's a Kelpie on the loose. We believe that it was going after unicorns the other night. When we were fighting it, it made the American Dragon drink a potion. The potion forced him to resume his human form." Fu explained. This was bad. I shrug.

"I'm not sure. Maybe Lynx will know. Where can I call you at?" I ask nonchalantly. Fu-dog gave me the number, before both he and Lao left the store. Lynx walked in a few minutes later. When I explained about Fu and Lao being in the store, he seemed thoughtful.

"I think that I'll pay them a visit. You stay behind and man the fort." and with that, he left. Leaving me here the rest of the day.

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Lynx (POV)

I made my way from the Bazaar with little trouble, but was halted by the Oracle Twins.

"May I help you, ladies?" Sarah, the happy one who gets bad visions, spoke up.

"Yeah! I got a vision about you and your new employee! She's going to try to find her parents with a spell and everything will end in pain and heartbreak!" she exclaimed in her overly happy voice. I was definitely put on edge because of this.

"She's also going to make new friends at the school who'll be able to help her get through it all." added the other in a mood-dampener tone, the emo one who gets good visions, Kara. I cocked my head. What school?

"Do you mean a high school?" I ask. They shrug.

"We don't know everything that will happen. We can only tell you what we see." answered Kara.

"Bye! And good luck dealing with the Dragon when you try to enter the shop!" called Sarah as the two walked away. I sighed and continued on to Canal Street Electronics Shop. I peered in the window to see that although the sign said 'CLOSED', there were still people inside. I pushed the door open and slipped inside. I walked up to the front desk.

"Excuse me, I'm here to see Fu-dog." Lao Shi looked over the counter, glancing around until he spotted me. Although somewhat surprised, he led me into a back room, where Fu, and three teenagers were lounging around. I paused before continuing. The first to notice me was the tall boy. He held out a hand, saying,

"Ah, a kitty cat. Come here little buddy, come here OW! He clawed me!" he exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.

"I hit you with the flat of my claws. If I had really clawed you, you'd be bleeding right now." An African American girl looked me over.

"Seriously? First a dog, now a cat? My name's Trixie, by the way. The one you 'clawed' is Spud, and that's our buddy Jake. What's you name?" it was almost like a whirlwind, it was so fast.

"My name is Lynx. Fu, you'd better have called me over here for a good reason. I had to leave my new worker at the shop alone." I exclaimed, faking anger.

"Oh, so you do have the nerve to show your face around here, after what you did back in China?" demanded Fu, walking forward until he was nose to nose with the feline.

"And that would be?" I retorted.

"I dunno. Great to see you again, Lynx, no here's the problem." he quickly explained what happened with the 'Kelpie'. I had Lao and Jake give me their sides of the story, as well. I sat between Spud and Trixie. I licked a paw and drew it over an ear in thought.

"So the 'Kelpie' struck your left ear?" I confirmed. Jake nodded. I leapt up next to him and gently tapped his ear. He yelped and rubbed it, giving me a look.

"Just as I thought. It appears that dragons have a pressure point there. A tap, like what I did, would-"

"Feel like a punch to the face?" interrupted Jake, giving me a glare.

"Correct. Imagine a blow with some real force behind it would do. It could knock you senseless, as what I'm guessing happened with the 'Kelpie'."

"Dude, you're saying 'Kelpie' as if you think it's something else." noticed Spud. I nodded.

"The evidence doesn't really match up. Point one, what type of bite marks were on Jake's arm? Two, why didn't the Kelpie just suck out his essence to begin with, leaving him more immobile? Three, how many other creatures know a dragons weakness on the ear? Four, how long was it with the unicorns before they finally fled? And finally, why and how would a Kelpie use or get potions?" I finished.

While Spud seemed to get it, Lao and Jake weren't so sure, and Trixie seemed somewhere in between.

"Oh, I get it! Your saying that the Kelpie, isn't a Kelpie?" asked Spud. I nodded.

"Or at least, the creature that you currently suspect to be a Kelpie, is actually just a young dragon." I allowed that to sink in. Jake's eyes widened.

"Of course! But how would we find her? She could be anywhere!" I'm not sure about the potion. It could have simply been a power-drainer, or it could have been made specifically for dragons. I do not know for sure, having not been able to see it. I left my new employee back at the shop. I'd better get going." I nodded a curt farewell, saying over my shoulder,

"If I see anything, I'll tell you!" I had na idea.

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**That's a wrap! Little side note, school is starting up again real soon, so that'll probably slow down my updating speed. Just letting y'all know.**** Please review, leave suggestions, and whatnot!**


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